1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to apparatus and methods in the onshore and marine (offshore) hydrocarbon exploration, production, drilling, well completion, well intervention, and leak containment fields. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to tools useful for pick up, make up, and/or break down operations for oilfield equipment having threaded connections, including, but not limited to, inside blowout preventers, TIW valves, drill stem safety valves, kelly valves, dart valves, flapper valves, ball valves, safety valves, top drive valves (upper and lower), and the like.
2. Background Art
There are many drill string/drill stem components that may require “picking up” (lifting) by drill rig workers and/or a drill rig draw works, air tugger, or air hoist. Presently, this is accomplished by attaching a conventional “lift cap” to the top of the component, and lifting the combination lift cap and component. The component, with attached conventional lift cap, must then be “stabbed” into the upper end of the drill string and “made up” with (secured to) the drill string by threaded connections. Workers grab the lift cap itself, or use the chain tongs to grab the lift cap and turn the lift cap and component so that threads on the component engage threads on the drill string. For example, a “blowout (or blow out) preventer”, commonly known as a “BOP”, is a valve that may be used to prevent a well, usually a hydrocarbon producing well, from flowing uncontrollably. An “inside BOP” (also sometimes referred to as an “internal BOP”, “IBOP”, “kelly valve”, TIW valve, or “kelly cock”) is a BOP inside a drillpipe or drillstring, usually used to prevent the well from flowing uncontrollably up the drillstring during drilling. Industry standards require having an IBOP for every string of pipe in the hole on every rig that is working. Drilling contractors are now also being instructed they must stab a “Full Opening” (TIW) valve first, before the IBOP, if the well is flowing. (TWI stands for Texas Irons Works, an older style valve having a two-piece valve body. These are now more generally referred to in the art as a kelly valve.) Analogous valves are used during well completion and workover, and usually referred to as safety valves. The present disclosure is applicable to all such valves and components that must be lifted, made up, and broken out, and referred to herein as “rig tools”, since they frequently appear on drilling rigs and are used by rig workers.
In present practice, the TIW or kelly valve is typically positioned on the rig adjacent the IBOP, with the IBOP next to the drill pipe, and there is a conventional lift cap screwed into the top of the TIW valve. However, with conventional lift caps there is presently no way for rig workers to make up a TIW or kelly valve, an IBOP valve, or any other component with the drill string unless the workers use the drill rig air hoist to lift the component by the conventional cap and walk in a circle while making it up with the drill string, either with or with out use of chain tongs.
Currently, IBOP valves, TIW valves, kelly valves, safety valves, and other such valves and components, which may weigh 300 pounds or more, have no lifting eyes on their conventional cap or otherwise, although separate lifting devices that attach to the drillpipe and/or the component may have one or more lifting eyes, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,762. At least for IBOP valves, they have been this way for many years. FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are perspective views of three non-limiting representative examples of such IBOP valves each fitted with a conventional cap. There are many types of IBOP valves, drill stem safety valves, kelly valves, and the like, and the present disclosure is relevant to all. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,647,728; 3,066,590; 3,667,557; 3,835,925; 3,861,470; 3,941,348; 4,291,762; 4,294,314; 4,403,628; 4,417,600; 4,467,823; 4,478,279; 4,480,813; 4,523,608; 4,681,133; 4,694,855; 4,795,128; 5,507,467; 5,246,203; 5,529,285; 7,137,453; 7,950,668, and 7,108,081; 8,443,876; 8,443,877; and U.S. Published patent application no. 2013/0043044A1 all describe various types of IBOPs, kelly valves, TIW valves and/or accessories for same, such as actuators for IBOPs. Other examples of IBOPs may presently be found on the Internet websites of companies such as WNCO, Global Manufacturing and M&M Industries. All of these patents, published patent applications, and Internet websites are incorporated herein by reference for their disclosure of structure and operation of IBOPs, kelly valves, TIW valves and/or accessories for same, such as actuators for IBOPs, drill stem safety valves, kelly valves.
In current practice in the field, the drilling rig workers make up a conventional cap 14 to the upper threaded end of a valve body 2, wrap a chain or strap around the conventional lift cap 14, pick up the combination with the air hoist, and stab the lower threaded end (not shown) of the valve body into the drillpipe. In situations where a TIW or kelly valve is installed first, they then break down the conventional cap from the TIW valve body and make up the conventional cap to the upper threaded end of an IBOP valve body, again tie a chain or strap around the conventional lift cap, pick up the combination with the air hoist, and make up the bottom threaded end of the IBOP with top threaded end of the TIW valve body. In the case of a TIW valve, kelly valve, or IBOP, the valve itself must be open in order to screw the valve body into the drill pipe. If the TIW/kelly is closed, the IBOP may or may not be closed when installing it onto the TIW valve body. If the TIW/kelly valve is not open the pressure will blow it out before the threads can be started. The drilling rig workers turn the valve body clockwise by hand to screw the TIW valve body into the drillpipe, and the IBOP valve body into the TIW valve body. In some instances, rig workers grab round rods 21 welded to the conventional cap 14 while picking it up and turn the valve body using the round rods. Then they tighten the threads with the rig chain tongs, close the TIW or kelly valve using a tool specific for the TIW or kelly valve, and the well is secure. The IBOP valve may then be made up to the TIW valve body as explained. Mud or other drilling fluid may then be pumped through the valves down hole but no pressurized fluids may come out of the drillpipe.
One of the above patents, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,628, implies in Col. 3 of the patent that assembling an IBOP into a drill stem and removing the IBOP therefrom as just described, including lifting and manipulating the IBOP, is conveniently performed; however, this is contrary to experience, as accidents can and have occurred. Rig personnel safety is of utmost concern. The inventor herein personally knows of several accidents where the chain of the air hoist slipped off the old style cap, dropping an IBOP. No doubt this has occurred with TIW/kelly valve caps as well. While the “iron” (slang term for rig tools) is accustomed to being dropped and otherwise abused on the rig, the rig workers have the difficult tasks of not only picking up the rig tools, using chains or straps with the air hoist or otherwise, but picking them up straight (vertical or substantially vertical) to align with and screw onto the working drillpipe, which more often than not has fluids and possibly solids escaping out at a high rate. Experience shows that when rig workers are required to make a loop with a chain, cable, or strap around the whole valve (for example around two conventional cap handles) it rarely if ever picks up straight (so that the valve is vertical); it is then necessary to attempt to get it straight to get the threads started in the drillpipe threads. In the meantime, the valve or other rig components shift position and the conventional cap/valve combination slips off the chain, cable, or strap, with potential to injure rig workers, and without stopping flow from the drillpipe. Complications only increase on offshore rigs, whether working subsea or “dry” at the surface on the rig.
As may be seen, current practice of picking up, making up, and breaking out TIW valves, IBOPs, and other drill string components which must be picked up and made up to the drill string may not be adequate for all circumstances, and at worst have resulted in injury to rig workers. There remains a need for more robust lift cap designs allowing pick up, make up, and break out of rig tools such as IBOPs and TIW valves, particularly for apparatus and methods allowing safe and quick connection/disconnection and ease of alignment, without extra tools, lifting frames, or effort. The apparatus and methods of the present disclosure are directed to these needs.